Automatic feed-water regulator and alarm



(No Model.) l lJ. M. WILLIAMS.

AUTOMATIC 'FEED WATER REGULATOR AND ALARM. No. 548,240.

Patented Oct. 22, 1895,.

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A TTOHNEYS ANDREW E GRHAM.PHOTO-LITHQWASMNGTUN. DIL'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. WILLIAMS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC vFEED-WATER REGULATOR AND ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Pater-1t N o. 548,240, dated October 22, 1895.

y Application lecl March 4, 1895. `Serial No. 540,520. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. WILLAMS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Feed-Water Regulators and Alarms, of which the following is a clear and complete specification.

My inventionrelates to means for auto matically regulating the feed of water and of other liquids to boilers, tanks, water-closets, or other receptacles wherein it is absolutely necessary to keep a uniform height of water or liquid at all times, my object'being to provide a cheap and simple form of feed-water regulator of a novel construction;

It consists of a .double piston-valve made hollow and to act as a float on the surface of the water and is inelosed within the steam and water chamber, wherein it acts, being operated by the rising and falling of the water. The valves being balanced, there is little or no friction and the operation is most perfect,

'eectiva and simple.

My invention also consists in providing alarm by which the danger-point of high or low water is made known by means of a swinging-lever valve at the top of the chamber, which is telescoped into the top of the flowvalve, and at eXtreme high or low water the lever is swung to one side, thus admitting steam to the whistle and sounding the alarm.

I am aware that a feed-water regulator has been made with valvesV operated by iioats, levers, chains, te., being necessarily employed in combination with the iloat in order to complete the mechanism, and Where thus complicated are more liable'to get out of order. As all the working parts are necessarily inclosed within the steam and water chamber, they are liable to become Vcorroded and stick; consequently do not regulate the flow of water to boiler or steam to pump with great delicacy.

In my improvement the regulating of the water to boiler and steam to pump is accomplished by means'of a float, whichV acts also as the regulating-valves, and in passing over the ports in the sides of the chamber determines the amount of water to be admitted to chamber and the amount of steam to pump. As the water is eut oft from the chamber, so

must the steam from the pump, in order to regulate the speed of pump. Consequently, as the water in chamber rises so is the water and steam cut off, and as the water falls the valves are opened and the Iiow of water and vsteam increased accordingly, which is most positive in operation and automatically determines the required and .exact height of water in the boiler.

My invention is more especially intended to be used in the class of boilerlfeeds wherein a pump is used to feed the'water to the boiler. In case of boiler being fed otherwise than with pump, all that is necessary is to plug steam-opening on side of chamber and the application of regulator and regulation of water are the same as if pump is to be used.

The accompanying drawings will show the most preferable form of myinvention,where in similar letters and figures of reference indicate the corresponding parts. p

Figure l is a sectional view of chamber, float, valve, whistle, ports, steam and water connections on the line O O of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of chamber, float, valve, whistle, lever, ports, steam and water connections on the line K K of Fig/l. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the chamber on line C D. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of chamber on line A B. Fig. 5 is section of bottom end of chamber and float-valve set in a vertical position, showing indicator-bar andl stuffing-box.

The steam and water chamber A is preferably cylindrical in form and to be flanged and bolted together near the center. On the line C D is the water-inlet port. The water connection from pump is made at C, the ports T T partially encircling chamber A and entering chamber on opposite sides through the valve-seats S S, which are on the inside of chamber A, the valve-seats S S being raised above the inner walls of the chamber A. The face of the seats is cylindrical. The float E also being cylindrical in form and made to fit seats S S therefore acts as a perfectly-balanced piston-valve when working vertically in the seats S S, opening and closing the ports T T. The inner diameter of the chamberA is much greater than the diameter of the float E or the bore of the seats S S, and therefore leaves space around the outside of float E to allow the water to pass down past the floatE to the discharge-opening C near the bottom of chamber A and thence to the water-space in boiler.

The construction of the tloatE asafloating valve and the functions are very simple and eective. It consists of a cylindrical shell having two distinct diameters. The larger or bottom portion is so constructed as to be perfectly steam-tight and acts asthe doat proper and also as the regulating-valve between the seats S S for the water-supply to the chamber A. The upper and smaller portion of the fioat acts as the steam-regulating valve for supplying the steam from chamber to pump. This portion of the float is open at top to receive the alarm-lever R, which is telescoped and operated by the float.

The water-gage Gr and the gage-cocks H H Il are to be attached to the sides of chamber A at a point that safely indicates the high and low water-lines-that is to say, when the water leaves the bottom ot' gage G or lower gage-cock I-I the float E has entirely opened ports T T, which admits of the entire liow of water into chamber A and at the same point sounds the alarm, which I will hereinafter describe. When the water is at a point above the upper gage H, the float entirely closes the ports T T and sounds the alarm for high water. The upper portion of the chamber A forms the steam-chamber, being connected at K direct to steam-space in boilers. On the line A B are the ports L L and steam connections N to pump. The steam-ports L L pass through valve-seats M M on opposite sides of the chamber, partially encircling chamber to connection N to the pump. The face of the valve-seats M M is raised above the inner walls of the chamber A and made to tit the upper portion of the float E. The steam connection K froml boiler is made at the opening K in the chamber, from which the steam passes to the pump through the ports M Mand connection N, being regulated by the upper part of the tloat E, which acts as a balanced piston-valve between the valve-seats M M and working in a vertical position. At the extreme top of steam-chamber A is the alarm-head P, into which the alarm -whistle is screwed. The head P acts as a head for chamber A and is attached thereto by being screwed on the upper end of chamber. On the inside of the head P is attached the whistle-lever R. The lever is fulcrumed by pin 2 on the under side at a much less distance from center of whistle-valve S than the distance from center of lever R to fulcrum in this manner. The lever R when in a vertical position acts as a weight to hold the whistle-valve S closed. Thelever R is telescoped into the upper and smaller portion of the oat E, there being a slot in the upper end of float E throughwhich the lever R passes, and as the float rises or t falls it telescopes the lever R, and when the extreme high or the extreme low point is reached the lever R is thrown to one side, thus opening the valve S and allowing the steam to sound the alarm-whistle. At the bottom end of the lever R is a double inclined plane D, and on the inner side ot float E at the top and bottom is a corresponding inclined plane P P. It will be seen that the lioat E at the high or low point will bring the inclined planes in contact with one and the other and by so doing will swing the lever R to one side, thus opening the steam-valves S.

The operation of my feed-water regulator, as herein described, is as follows: Assuming the connectionsto have been made from chamber A at the opening C to the water-space in boiler and the steam connections from the chamber'A at the opening K to have been made to steam-space in boiler, also the steam connections from the chamber A at the open: ing N to the steam-pump and the chamber A' to be located at any suitable point near the boiler, the ports T T on the line C D of the steam and water-chamber must correspond with the required water-line in the boiler, the column A thus acting as a receiver and regulator for the volume of water from the pump to the i water-space in the boiler and the volume of i operate the steam-pum p.

steam from the steam-space in the boiler to In the event of the Y water-supply coming from any other source :than the steam-pump the steamregulating t portion is not used.

Suppose the iioat E to be located at a point 1 that will entirely close the ports S S and T T and the water begins to fall, the tloat E likei wise falls, and by so doing opens the chamber to the pump, andthe pump is started, and the water enters the chamber through the ports S S. The water in the boiler will rise, since it is in free communication with the steam and Water space of the chamber, and the ris- '1 ing of the tloat in the chamber is determined by the rising of the Water and will close ports iT T and S S and stop the pump and watersupply. In practice, however, the ports will i be more or less open and the pumprunning as long as steam is being used from the boiler.

To determine the exact workings and locations of'the float E, the graduated indicator- ;bar Q, Fig. 5, at the bottom of the chamber 2A, is forced up into the T-slot at the bottom v of the float E and attached thereto by giving the bar Q one-quarter turn, the T-head on 1 the bar fastening itselt` into the T-slot at the bottom of the float E and to allow the operator to at any time fully open or close the portsby the means of the graduated indicator- I bar Q. When not being used, the bar should be disconnected from the oat, so as to overcome the friction of the bar Q in the stuffingbox 6. Between the stuliing-box and chamber A is T 7 for the purpose of connecting the blow-off pipe that in case of accumulation of lsediment at any time may be blown out.

From any cause whatsoever, should the wa-l ter in the chamber reach lthe high or low water danger point, the inclined plane P P within the upper part of the floatE will come in contactwith the inclined plane D on the `lever R and sound the alarm, thus giving IOO IIO

IZO

warning in time to the operator to prevent damage or disaster.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that my invention possesses some advantages over the present method' of feedin gwater to boilers, some of which are most important, viz: the simplicity of construction, the least possible number of Working parts, the absence of Weights, springs, levers, andv stuifing-boxes, there being little or no strain on the pump, the easy Working of the valves, being perfectly balanced, the positive maintenance of the uniform Water level in the boiler,

Vand the automatic action and the least possibility of the valves getting out of order, as they are inclosed Within the chamber and constr ucted of one piece.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a feed water regulator the combination of a chamber to contain Water and steam, with water and steam connection thereto, from which', ports partially encircling the chamber entering the chamber on opposite sides through valve seats on the inner Walls of chamber, a` double floating valve, Working therein being operated by the rise and fall of the Water in the chamber, substantially as described.

2. In feed water regulators and alarms the combination of a chamber for containing water and steam, the double lioating valve therein, steam and water connections to chamber, through ports or openings partially encircling chamber, entering chamber through the valve seats on the inner walls of the chamber, Qn opposite sides of the chamber, a holcombination of chamber for containing water boilerand steam and Water connections from pump to chamber, connections of which partially encircle the chamber, enter the chamber through ports or openings through the opposite sides of chamber through valve seats on the inner wall of chamber, the hollow iloat telescoping Whistle lever having projections or inclined planes on the inner Walls of same, the corresponding projections or inclined planes on the side of lever with graduated indicator or starting bar with T head, having suitable connections at bottom of iloat to fasten T heads thereto for the purpose herein set forth.

4. In feed-water regulators and alarms the combination of the chamber for containing water and steam, a double floating valve working Vbetween valve seats on the inner walls of chamber, steam and Water ports entering chamber on opposite sides of chamber for the purpose of balancing double iioating valves, Within the chamber, the upper portion of float being made hollow to receive swinging Whistle or alarm lever having projections or inclined planes on the inner walls, corresponding projections or inclined planes on the lever, for the purpose of swinging the lever to one side thus opening steam valve and sounding the alarm, a graduated indicator or starting bar working through stuffing box on bottom of chamber having T head on the upper end for the purpose of connecting to iioat for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

D. G. JoNns, I-I. E. SEIBERT. 

